Owner's plea to police after pet dog mauled

1:38pm Monday 18th June 2012 in News By Ben James

A PET owner is calling on police to detain a savage dog which mauled her whippet.

Emma Meston’s dog, Ivory, was pounced on “like a lion” before the Japanese Akita/mastif cross sunk its teeth into her whimpering pet’s hindquarters.

The devastated 41-year-old said: “It was absolutely horrific. The vet said that the teeth were just inches away from severing her sciatic nerve, which would have left her paralysed. If they had got her round the neck then she wouldn’t be here today.”

She called the police immediately after the attack in West Street, Brighton, at 9.30am on Wednesday. However, they told her that dog- on-dog attacks were a civil offence and told her to contact the RSPCA.

Ms Meston added: “It’s unbelievable that a person has to be mauled before the police get involved. I just couldn’t believe it.”

Frustrated, the professional photographer took pictures of the savage dog and posted them on Face- book, asking the public to contact her if they too had been attacked.

She said: “I couldn’t believe the response. I’ve had a number of messages of support from strangers and also five or six people who have said that their dogs have also been attacked.”

“Ivory’s extremely nervous of any- one at the moment and even the trip from the car to the vets is an extremely harrowing experience.

“I have been warned about these two dogs before and I think we were just lucky that the other one was on a lead. They are often on Queen’s Road, near Air Street, and I would think that many other people’s dogs have been attacked.

“I would urge anyone who has to call the RSPCA.

“It’s only a matter of time before they attack a member of the public.” An RSPCA spokeswoman said if they receive a string of complaints about the same animal then they will send down an officer to investigate.

She added: “The officer will offer advice to the owner and if they deem it necessary they will contact the police and get them to investigate.”

The police yesterday said that a PCSO was going to speak to the owner. Anyone whose pets have been attacked should call Brighton RSPCA on 01273 554218.

The incident comes just a month after a man in his 30s was mauled by two dogs on Brighton Beach. The mastiff cross and Stafford- shire bull terrier involved in that incident have since been destroyed.

Comments(54)

JuliaM says...
2:17pm Mon 18 Jun 12

Police can indeed intervene - they are just too **** lazy.

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joanne_77 says...
2:26pm Mon 18 Jun 12

i have seen the report on facebook with the photos inc pics of the dogs & the owner,i hope the dog recovers well x

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Daisyb2uk says...
2:30pm Mon 18 Jun 12

I hope the culprits are bought to book, and made to pay the vet's bill. Huh as if.

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Minion says...
2:40pm Mon 18 Jun 12

judging by "the other one was on a lead" I'm assuming the dogs were accompanied by an owner. why wasn't the owner's response/reaction mentioned? that's who she should have taken a photo of and that's where the police could have intervened. owners have a legal responsibility to control their pets.

savage dogs are usually savage because their owners raised them that way, usually through cruelty.

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Minion says...
2:41pm Mon 18 Jun 12

judging by "the other one was on a lead" I'm assuming the dogs were accompanied by an owner. why wasn't the owner's response/reaction mentioned? that's who she should have taken a photo of and that's where the police could have intervened. owners have a legal responsibility to control their pets.

savage dogs are usually savage because their owners raised them that way, usually through cruelty.

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emma barnes says...
2:46pm Mon 18 Jun 12

Dog v dog attacks = civil. ie not police matter. Police deal with criminal law.

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kerryfee says...
2:50pm Mon 18 Jun 12

Photos of the dogs, the owner and Ivory's injuries are on Facebook.
The dogs are said to be protecting the owner, they are not under control when he is out cold for whatever reason. I dread to think what would happen if a small child got too close.
Something must be done, these dangerous dogs are on Brighton streets, the least that should happen is that they be muzzeld.

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joanne_77 says...
3:37pm Mon 18 Jun 12

Minion wrote:
judging by "the other one was on a lead" I'm assuming the dogs were accompanied by an owner. why wasn't the owner's response/reaction mentioned? that's who she should have taken a photo of and that's where the police could have intervened. owners have a legal responsibility to control their pets.

savage dogs are usually savage because their owners raised them that way, usually through cruelty.
yes in the pic they belong to a homless man and not on a lead,i have seen them about,i have no problem with him having dogs but at least keep them under control and on leads at all times while sitting on the pavement

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ADD says...
4:36pm Mon 18 Jun 12

The police advice is wrong but typical of their (mis)understanding of the legislation. http://www.defra.gov
.uk/publications/fil
es/dogs-guide-enforc
ers.pdf
1. Report to the local authority dog warden for action under the Dogs Act
2. Tell the police you feared for your safety and that you believe they should investigate an offence under s.3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act which is a criminal offence.

Report this post »

Brightonian in Germany says...
5:10pm Mon 18 Jun 12

Daisyb2uk wrote:
I hope the culprits are bought to book, and made to pay the vet's bill. Huh as if.
I agree with you entirely.
Also the "owners" should be put down & made to foot all the bills including their own putting down.
These irresponsible idiots who have such dogs have no place in society.
To call this affair a civil matter is a very tasteless joke. I was always under the impression that the Police are there to help & or detain offenders when someone feels threatened. It does not matter whether it is someones dog or cat. I agree that it most likely will come down to the fact that at sometime this dog/dogs will attack a person.
What a poor state of affairs England has developed into in the past 25 years. I can only shake my head at so much "official stupidity".

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Daisyb2uk says...
5:18pm Mon 18 Jun 12

I always understood that it was an offence to have a dog off lead in the street, however well behaved it is. If one of those dogs had run into the road and caused an accident they would be held responsible and I'll bet they are not insured.

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NickBrt says...
6:18pm Mon 18 Jun 12

Sadly if the dog's owner now says they were protesting about EDL or something our council will give them a medal. I hope this Lady's dog recovers.

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Nightshade says...
6:36pm Mon 18 Jun 12

Why don't these idiots put muzzles on their dogs? I have a Staffordshire bull terrier and he is alway muzzled as he hates other dogs ever since he got attacked in Stanmer park. The dogs that attacked mine, have ruined his attitude and fun. I hope this lady's dog gets well soon.

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Nightshade says...
6:36pm Mon 18 Jun 12

Why don't these idiots put muzzles on their dogs? I have a Staffordshire bull terrier and he is alway muzzled as he hates other dogs ever since he got attacked in Stanmer park. The dogs that attacked mine, have ruined his attitude and fun. I hope this lady's dog gets well soon.

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mr punch says...
6:40pm Mon 18 Jun 12

these dogs belonged to a homeless man? So he can afford to keep 2 large dogs but not himself then? Are these type of dogs not on the "should be muzzled" list? Remember the quote from the dog whisperer bloke?
"In the 70's they blamed the german shepherd. In the 80's they blamed the doberman. In the 90's they blamed the rottweiller. In the noughties they blamed the stffy's.. When are they going to blame the owners?"

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joanne_77 says...
7:00pm Mon 18 Jun 12

i will add the dogs in the photo ARE NOT staffys!

there is no law to state a dog has to be on a lead,only law is that all dogs should have an id tag the police or council can ask you to put lead on in a public place.

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mr punch says...
7:30pm Mon 18 Jun 12

joanne_77 wrote:
i will add the dogs in the photo ARE NOT staffys!

there is no law to state a dog has to be on a lead,only law is that all dogs should have an id tag the police or council can ask you to put lead on in a public place.
haven't seen the photo's joanne-77 and I never said they were. Also is there a muzzling law in UK?

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joanne_77 says...
7:50pm Mon 18 Jun 12

no didnt mean you just the normal blame a certain breed,the pic has been on facebook,someone took the pic after the attack for the lady,only if the court has said your dog needs to be muzzled then no dogs dont need to wear one,and not always does it mean a dog is bad,i knew a dog & his owner where the dog wore one due to him eating anything & everything and getting ill.

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joanne_77 says...
7:52pm Mon 18 Jun 12

http://www.facebook.
com/media/set/?set=a
.474355365912433.122
101.100000139200111&
type=3

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Unbias says...
8:56pm Mon 18 Jun 12

joanne_77 wrote:
http://www.facebook. com/media/set/?set=a .474355365912433.122 101.100000139200111&
amp; type=3
Thanks for the link......

That poor dog.....as was said too......lucky it wasn't a child!

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joanne_77 says...
9:15pm Mon 18 Jun 12

take it the linked worked :) wasnt sure if it would.

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seagully says...
9:20pm Mon 18 Jun 12

Surely it's better that the RSPCA who have more power to deal with an incident like this lead on the prosecution, not sure the Argus has it correct here as if Police weren't investigating why send someone around. As mentioned above Police dealt with the dogs after they mauled the guy on the beach. Mixed wires somewhere

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emzell says...
11:17pm Mon 18 Jun 12

http://www.defra.gov
.uk/publications/fil
es/dogs-guide-enforc
ers.pdf

I despair. The police absolutely have the requisite powers. This isn't just about civil liability. Someone educate the establishment for the love of baby Jesus.

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mikeymike69 says...
6:21am Tue 19 Jun 12

Unbias wrote:
joanne_77 wrote:
http://www.facebook. com/media/set/?set=a .474355365912433.122 101.100000139200111&
amp;
amp; type=3
Thanks for the link......

That poor dog.....as was said too......lucky it wasn't a child!
What the…?

Are you saying that children are more important than animals? Your comments seems to trivialise this story because it was a dog that was attacked and not a child. Does this really make a difference to the severity of the attack?

Animal welfare should be as important as people welfare - if not more. Least so because animals do not have a voice.

Comments like this make my blood boil.

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LB says...
7:48am Tue 19 Jun 12

"Are you saying that children are more important than animals?....
Comments like this make my blood boil."

*Unsure if troll*

if it is a troll then I applaud you, if it's not then are you really saying that a child has the same value in your life as a squirrel?

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Juleyanne says...
8:27am Tue 19 Jun 12

Here we go again. Clearly this dog should be muzzled and on a lead at all times by way of an order. Sadly, it will take more attacks before action is taken.
Other dogs and members of the public need protection from irresponsible owners. The dog in question is likely to end up being euthanized downline due to lack of early swift action to impose such an order. Many of these problem owners (note I say owners)! fail to socialize and train their dogs from puppies with other dogs and people and this is one of the major reasons these dogs become hostile and defensive. Bad owners who are aggressive and defensive themselves will mirror similar responses in their dogs. Dogs like children need boundaries, training and stability.

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mimseycal says...
9:00am Tue 19 Jun 12

If a dog savaged sheep it is a criminal offence surely? Why is there a disparity depending on what animal it savages?

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Pitviper says...
9:34am Tue 19 Jun 12

I saw this happen and all the supposed attacker dog did was bark albiet loud and menacing, the "attacked" dog ran out into the road almost causing a coach to hit it.

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kerryfee says...
9:38am Tue 19 Jun 12

Pitviper wrote:
I saw this happen and all the supposed attacker dog did was bark albiet loud and menacing, the "attacked" dog ran out into the road almost causing a coach to hit it.
Really, so how do you explain the massive bite marks in the dogs hind quarters that required stitching under general anesthetic? Think you may have witnessed a different event pitviper.

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nosolution says...
11:34am Tue 19 Jun 12

mikeymike69 wrote:
Unbias wrote:
joanne_77 wrote: http://www.facebook. com/media/set/?set=a .474355365912433.122 101.100000139200111&
amp; amp; amp; type=3
Thanks for the link...... That poor dog.....as was said too......lucky it wasn't a child!
What the…? Are you saying that children are more important than animals? Your comments seems to trivialise this story because it was a dog that was attacked and not a child. Does this really make a difference to the severity of the attack? Animal welfare should be as important as people welfare - if not more. Least so because animals do not have a voice. Comments like this make my blood boil.
Another one of those animal lover/human haters.We all ,well most of us,love animals and feel for the poor whippet that got bit and would like to see a solution that prevents this happening again but no,on a scale of importance,animals are not as or more important than people.

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Terry K says...
12:10pm Tue 19 Jun 12

Muzzle all dogs when in a public place, no muzzle, then put the dogs down simple.com.

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joanne_77 says...
12:22pm Tue 19 Jun 12

mikeymike69 wrote:
Unbias wrote:

joanne_77 wrote:
http://www.facebook. com/media/set/?set=a .474355365912433.122 101.100000139200111&
amp;
amp;
amp; type=3
Thanks for the link......

That poor dog.....as was said too......lucky it wasn't a child!
What the…?

Are you saying that children are more important than animals? Your comments seems to trivialise this story because it was a dog that was attacked and not a child. Does this really make a difference to the severity of the attack?

Animal welfare should be as important as people welfare - if not more. Least so because animals do not have a voice.

Comments like this make my blood boil.
no one is saying that but another dog would be able to defend itself,a small child wouldnt,im a dog owner and have had my own dog attacked and the other owner did nothing just walked off and let her dog attack another dog!i dont think all dogs should be muzzled,thats just cruel.

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Juleyanne says...
6:35pm Tue 19 Jun 12

what a ridiculous comment by T Kerry, a gather you are not a dog owner! No, the answer is not muzzle all dogs, the majority of dogs are well trained, socialized and have no previous aggressive tendencies. It is like saying all humans should wear tags and handcuffs just because a few humans are frequently aggessive.
The point here is dogs with less than reliable temperaments towards other dogs or humans and certainly those who have been identified as having attacked dogs or bitten humans should be subject to a legal order to muzzle their dogs and have them on leashes. Without this initial option under the new Dog Control Bill many of these dogs could be euthanized on first offence.

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Terry K says...
10:15pm Tue 19 Jun 12

You can make all the excuses you like Juleyanne, ANY dog can turn at any time, even so called well behaved dogs, they can and do just snap, why take the chance that some child might get it's face scarred for life, i repeat my call, muzzle all dogs when in a public place, PEOPLE COME FIRST!.

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mimseycal says...
10:35pm Tue 19 Jun 12

Can we have some common sense here please. The sheer number of dogs that are out and about on a daily basis coupled with the number of children out and about on a daily basis ... deduct from that the number of incidents where children are mauled by dogs on a daily basis and you will see how over the top the call to muzzle all dogs is.

It is not my intention to minimize the horrific consequences of an attack by a vicious dog. However I think that children are far more likely to get hit by a car then mauled by a dog.

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Terry K says...
11:13pm Tue 19 Jun 12

Common sense say's we can teach children about traffic dangers, but dogs are unpredictable, why take the chance? one child bitten is one to many!, sick of these substitute children lovers on here, PEOPLE COME FIRST!.

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mimseycal says...
11:45pm Tue 19 Jun 12

Terry K wrote:
Common sense say's we can teach children about traffic dangers, but dogs are unpredictable, why take the chance? one child bitten is one to many!, sick of these substitute children lovers on here, PEOPLE COME FIRST!.
Common sense says that while some grasp the concept of apostrophes relatively easily, others seem totally bewildered.

Go figure ;)

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Juleyanne says...
8:51am Wed 20 Jun 12

Oh Please Terry K your argument for the use of muzzles for all dogs is fundamentally flawed. Your far fetched 'just in case' argument could extend to just about anything in life that occasionally might be hazardous for children.
As children can be educated about traffic, they can also be educated not to approach dogs they do not know. Well trained and socialized dogs are considerably less likely to poise a problem. Most responsible parents either teach their children not to approach dogs unknown to them or sensibly ask the owner first if it ok for their child to approach a particular dog its common sense!

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mimseycal says...
9:36am Wed 20 Jun 12

Juleyanne, the last resort of those without a reasonable argument is always 'but think about the children!!!'

Rather Pythonesque really but of course they will not see it as such ;)

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joanne_77 says...
9:42am Wed 20 Jun 12

Terry K wrote:
Common sense say's we can teach children about traffic dangers, but dogs are unpredictable, why take the chance? one child bitten is one to many!, sick of these substitute children lovers on here, PEOPLE COME FIRST!.
oh please! fgs most attacks have been in a home not out on the street and 99% of them have been by dogs that arent family pets but dogs used for fighting/or as guarding and locked away when kids vist,maybe more parents should teach the child not to go up to dogs without checking with the owner first and how to read the dogs body languge,as for comparing it to traffic more kids are hit by cars etc each year than dog bites!

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Terry K says...
5:16pm Wed 20 Jun 12

I see in the National papers today a 5 year old girl was attcked IN HER OWN GARDEN, by next doors dog jumping over a fence to attack her, she required 60 stitches and is mentally scarred by the attack, of course according to the folk on here it can't possibly be the dogs fault and it can't be true that a dog can turn at any moment (rolls eye's) can it?.

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mimseycal says...
5:37pm Wed 20 Jun 12

Going from the sublime to the ridiculous aren't we Terry K.

No one has said that attacks by dogs are alright. Nor has anyone stated that the dogs that attack should not be dealt with.
We are saying that considering the number of dogs and children out and about on a daily basis that the number of dogs that attack is minimal and does in no way justify muzzling all dogs which is what you were suggesting.

You can keep shifting the goalposts and you can carry on stretching the emotive but that doesn't alter the facts ... which do not bear you out.

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Terry K says...
5:49pm Wed 20 Jun 12

One attack is one to many, and are you denialists aware that dog attacks have increased 12 fold in the last few years!,........ none so blind as those that won't see!.

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mimseycal says...
6:36pm Wed 20 Jun 12

No one is denying dog attacks happen. We are merely questioning your rather knee jerk response to them.

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Page the Oracle says...
8:21pm Wed 20 Jun 12

The facebook pages indicate that she went to the police station today but no updates so far......

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Juleyanne says...
12:02am Thu 21 Jun 12

Absolutely spot on Mimseycal, K Terry is losing the plot. He seems so far removed from reason and common sense his comments get increasing bizarre and over the top by the minute.
Perhaps he was attacked by someone's poodle as a child and bears a grudge to all dogs or the other option is he absorbs everything he reads to the point he has convinced himself all of britains dogs are out to get him and eat children! He refuses to accept the there a millions of dogs in Britain who make great companions to the old, the lonely and shock horror, many are much loved family pets who as a whole are good for peoples health giving unconditional love and devotion. I cannot help being a little suspicious of animal haters!

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Terry K says...
3:02pm Thu 21 Jun 12

I'm convinced many obesssive dog lovers have a mild mental illness and have an unnatural feelings towards their slobbering pet's, or they have something missing in their lives, of course we all have our views, but i prefer to put childrens safety first, and in my world, people come first!.

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mimseycal says...
4:37pm Thu 21 Jun 12

Sure you are Terry K. In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king after all ... as if ;)

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pebble counter says...
9:32pm Thu 21 Jun 12

As the owner of a gentle and small dog, the attitude of other dog owners really annoys me. I have every sympathy with the owner of this dog having seen my own attacked by some vicious dogs in the past. When I've complained to the owners of these dogs they just shrug as if they aren't responsible. But they are. I'm not sure how you stand legally but I usually carry something long enough to beat an attacking dog with, to atleast even up the odds.

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Heckler1974 says...
4:04pm Fri 22 Jun 12

pebble counter wrote:
As the owner of a gentle and small dog, the attitude of other dog owners really annoys me. I have every sympathy with the owner of this dog having seen my own attacked by some vicious dogs in the past. When I've complained to the owners of these dogs they just shrug as if they aren't responsible. But they are. I'm not sure how you stand legally but I usually carry something long enough to beat an attacking dog with, to atleast even up the odds.
"but I usually carry something long enough to beat an attacking dog with,"

*Sniggers*

Sorry as you were.

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Abington says...
2:23pm Sat 23 Jun 12

Terry K, you have no clue. Dogs live to go out and if you have a well behaved dog then why muzzle them? That's cruel. My dog is 11 and has never bitten or shown any aggression to any other animal or person. She loves children, If you put time into your dog then you will have a nice dog. How your dog behaves is down to how the owner brings up the pet or if the pet is attacked from a young age.

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Abington says...
2:25pm Sat 23 Jun 12

But don't get me wrong, if my dog showed any aggresion I would have her muzzled. But she isnt so why not let her live a happy life instead of being muzzled all the time for no reason.

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Abington says...
2:51pm Sat 23 Jun 12

You just obviously hate dogs for some bizarre stupid reason. Nobody agrees with what your saying because it's Absoloute nonsense! A dog having a walk off the leash isn't just going to randomly walk up to a child and think yay I'm gonna attack you today. You have totally lost the plot and keep your ridiculous comments to yourself next time

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Terry K says...
4:20pm Mon 25 Jun 12

Abington, you sound like a leftie trying to stifle free speech, and how thick to think a dog can't turn at any moment and attack a child, happens daily in our country, and can you stop using the word leash, it's creeping americanism, we say lead in this country, not stupid leash.

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